The Unseen Legacy

Nora’s POV.  

I stepped back, shaking my head slowly.  

“No, Vanessa. That’s not possible. How can I be pregnant?”  

“I swear Nora, the result confirmed that you were. When you collapsed that day upon hearing about Liam’s demise, I ran some tests on you since you complained to me about having abdominal pains. And when the results of the tests came, it was confirmed that you were pregnant”  

I snorted, shaking my head.  

“I still can’t wrap my head around this. Okay, let’s agree I am pregnant like you said, so where is the baby? Where is the baby bump?” I asked in a low voice.  

“That’s exactly what I don’t understand too. Maybe you miscarried while you were locked up in that cell. Did you at any point in time bleed?” Vanessa asked, my hands held in hers.  

I slowly wrung my hands out of hers, pacing up and down the room, with my hand rested on my forehead.  

I thought about it- those days I spent in the dungeon, did I bleed?  

Then it hit me.  

Come to think of it, it had been months since I saw my period- even right before I ended up in the dungeon.  

So, am I truly pregnant? But how could that be possible when Liam never touched me? How can I be pregnant? Whose child ....... my mind trailed off, because I finally found the answer to my question.  

I knew whose child it was- it was that man’s.  

The man I was meant to kill months ago, but turned the table and attacked me instead. The man everyone believed was dead, but only I knew he was still very much alive.  

Steve Smith.  

I was carrying his child!! 

“What the fuck?” I muttered in total disbelief, sinking into the nearby sofa.  

Vanessa rushed to where I was seated with concern etched on her face.  

“Nora, what’s the problem? Are you fine?”  

I couldn’t speak- my throat went dry. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I clutched onto the edges of the sofa. My breathing was erratic, and I tried steadying it, but I couldn’t.  

How can I say it? Who do I tell that the father of my unborn child is the man I was meant to kill- a man I barely knew.  

“Nora, talk to me. You’re scaring me” Vanessa’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.  

I couldn’t.  

I just couldn’t tell her. Not that I didn’t trust her, but I was scared of the unknown.  

What if my father finds out? Will I and my baby live to see the next day? I have lost Liam already; I can’t afford to lose my child too. This must be kept a secret- no one must know.  

“Listen, Nora. I understand your fear since this is your first time, but you have to be calm for us to figure a way out” Vanessa knelt in front of me, her hands grabbing mine tightly.   

“If you didn’t miscarry the pregnancy, there’s a chance you are experiencing a cryptic pregnancy. It’s not common, but it happens. There won’t be symptoms, baby bump whatsoever, but that doesn’t mean the baby isn’t there” she calmly explained.  

“Cryptic pregnancy?” I asked, the term tasted foreign on my lips.  

“Yes” she nodded. “So, it’s possible you are still pregnant. You will need to conduct some tests at the hospital for us to be sure. When will you be able to come over?” she asked. 

My hand instinctively went to my belly, rubbing it with care. Despite how chaotic my life was, I immediately felt it- the mother’s instinct to protect her child.  

I will protect you. I promise.  

“Vanessa, who else knows about the pregnancy apart from us? Is my father aware?” I asked.  

“No, he isn’t. It’s just the two of us and one of my nurses.” 

“Is that nurse of yours trustworthy?”  

“Yes, she is. I will tell her to keep mute”.  

“Thank you” I nodded my head in appreciation. “My father mustn't get to know about it.” 

“I understand” she gently patted the back of my hand. “But you know you need care, right? If I am not mistaken, the pregnancy would be close to 9 months which means you might be put to bed anytime soon.” 

“I know, but it won’t be here. Not under my father’s roof. If he finds out, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill my child”  

“So, what do you want to do? Are you still going to go ahead with the wedding?” Vanessa asked, her eyebrow raised.  

Then, that was yet another problem.  

How can I get married to the man who ordered me to kill the father of my unborn child? If he finds out I am carrying his enemy’s child, wouldn’t he kill us? 

No, I can’t- I mustn’t.  

I was willing to marry him not giving a fuck if I lost my life in the process just because of one reason- to get my revenge on my father.  

But now that I knew I had a mini me growing inside of me, I needed to stay alive no matter what. I needed another way to achieve my two goals- to stay alive and get revenge on my father and the only way I could think of was to ............ 

“It still goes on” I replied, a bitter smile curved my lips.  

“What? Are you trying to get yourself killed? What do you think will happen if your husband-to-be finds out you are pregnant with another man's child? Do you think he will just pat your head and let you go?” she asked in a low voice, her voice trembled with fear.  

“I never said I would get married to him; I said the wedding goes on” I announced, a devilish smile curved up my lips.  

“What do you mean by that, Nora? What the hell are you up to?” she beseeched, her eyes widened in shock.  

“I am going to ...... escape” I announced firmly.  

“What?” she bellowed.  

“That’s the only thing I can do, Vanessa. This child is neither safe in this house nor in my supposed husband-to-be's house. I need to run away before the wedding. “ 

Vanessa sat rooted to the floor, trying to absorb my plan.  

“Nora, do you even know what you are saying? You want to run away? To where exactly? Do you think your father would let you off his hook easily? He will willingly burn down the entire city just to find you”  

“Then, I will run to another city. I don’t even care anymore. He can burn down the entire city for all I care, but I would have been long gone before then.”  

Vanessa stared at me in bewilderment; her mouth was wide agape as if she was surprised by how rebellious I had become.  

“Are you sure about this, Nora? Will you be able to pull this through?” 

“Yes, I will if you help me. I need your help, Vanessa” I said, my tone relaxed. “I would need somewhere safe to hide and when the time comes, I would need you to deliver my child. You know you are the only one I can trust.” 

Silence enveloped the room, I could see hesitation in Vanessa's eyes- not that she wasn’t willing to help, but she knew how dangerous my father was.  

“Please” I begged, now holding her hands in mine.  

Vanessa looked at me, doubt and fear dancing in her eyes. Then, she nodded.  

“I will help you, but you have to promise me you will stay alive.” she requested.  

“I promise. I will- for you, for Liam and for this baby” I assured.  

She pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping her hands firmly around me as if that would be the last time we would ever see each other.  

“But if we are doing this, we need to move fast. The wedding is in a week and that gives us 6 nights for you to disappear. How do we go about it?” she asked, worriedly.  

“Don’t worry. I will plan everything out and communicate with you before then.” 

“One more thing Nora. If I may ask, who is the father of your unborn child? Is it Liam?” 

I hesitated, but eventually, I responded.  

“Not Liam, but someone I shouldn’t have crossed paths with.” 

“Someone you shouldn’t have crossed paths with?” she repeated, her face furrowed, trying to depict the meaning of the words I had uttered.  

Then, she snapped her fingers as if she had remembered something.  

“Talking about Liam, did you hear?” 

“Heard what?” 

“That his corpse disappeared from the morgue.”  

I froze, feeling numb almost immediately.  

“What do you mean his corpse disappeared?” I asked, my heart beating heavily in my chest.